Music review: 'Welcome Oblivion' offers abundance of layers

In 2009, Trent Reznor announced the end of Nine Inch Nails. Of course, we now know it would turn out to be nothing more than a hiatus, but the break from touring gave him plenty of time to work on his side-project with his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and composer/producer Atticus Ross, who has been a collaborator with Reznor for many years.

After two EPs, 2010's "How to Destroy Angels" and 2012's "An Omen EP," How to Destroy Angels has finally made the leap to a full-length record. Those listeners familiar with "An Omen EP" already have a head start as four of the EP's track selections made the cut on "Welcome Oblivion."

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Opening with a new track, "The Wake-Up," listeners new to How to Destroy Angels will notice a familiar Nine Inch Nails grinding beat, but the similarities to Reznor's original project end there. Gone are the anger-fueled lyrics with Reznor's edgy vocals, and in their place is a minimalist approach to melody. It isn't all this way, but "The Wake-Up" slowly builds upon a loop with very little actually discernible in the vocals. Mariqueen Maandig's voice is heavily distorted here and held in the background by a swarm of electronic sounds. It's easy to imagine Reznor's trademark tone taking over at any point and blossoming into a Nine Inch Nails track, but at under two minutes in length, "The Wake-Up" serves as nothing more than an introduction of what to expect.

Trent Reznor does occasionally sing on "Welcome Oblivion," but always in support of his wife's calm, hushed vocals. "Keep It Together," which appeared originally on "An Omen EP," is the first listeners hear of these two artists singing together and while it remains quite calm, there is still plenty of detail in the background to keep things interesting.

Although How to Destroy Angels does, frequently, lean to the minimalist side of the musical spectrum, they do have plenty of beautiful melodies to explore. "Welcome Oblivion" may start off relatively slow for many listeners, but those willing to press on will be handsomely rewarded. "Too Late, All Gone" opens in a similar fashion to many of the preceding selections, complete with electronic blips and bloops, but when Maandig is allowed to sing out for the line "the more we change, everything stays the same," the entire track is taken to a new level. Eventually she and Reznor interweave their voices in perfect harmony. Lyrically, the song is quite simple, but it continually builds as each second ticks by; forcing the listener's ears to fully invest in the recording.

"Too Late, All Gone" then flows right into the feature track of the album, "How Long?." As the lead single, it should come as no surprise that this is the most melodic track on the entire album with a full-bodied chorus and a much more familiar song structure, but the backing instrumentation still screams of Reznor's influence. If you're new to this group, "How Long?" is definitely the place to begin.

How to Destroy Angels is not for everyone. Fans of Nine Inch Nails might label the music as too atmospheric and repetitive to be enjoyable, but if you can forgive the lack of angst permeating the album, "Welcome Oblivion" has an abundance of layers begging to be explored.

Similar Artists: Nine Inch Nails, Massive Attack

Track Suggestion: "How Long?"

Three stars

Josh Ritter - "The Beast in Its Tracks"

Ritter's past hits, which include "Good Man," "Girl in the War," and "The Temptation of Adam," have earned him a great deal of attention. Now one of the most popular singer/songwriters currently on tour, Josh Ritter has been steadily releasing material since his self-titled debut came out in 2000. Like most songwriters, much of what Ritter has written before has included some sort of personal reflection. While this has been mostly positive when coming from Ritter until now, since the release of his last record, 2010's "So Runs the World Away," Ritter has, unfortunately, endured the pain of his own divorce; making "The Beast in Its Tracks" a very different style of record.

It seems like every songwriter has a break-up record; some much darker than others. However, what makes Josh Ritter's take on this unfortunate situation so unique is how he is able to step back and really see both sides. Sure, there's some anger mixed in there, but he takes as much blame for the situation as he dishes out while wishing his ex-wife the best for her future.

In "New Lover," for instance, Ritter throws a few accusations out early before retreating with the words "perhaps the fault was mine," but the final line of each chorus, "I've got a new lover now, I hope you've got a lover too" seems to echo his true sentiments. Musically, the track is quite cheerful, as is most of the album, but the pictures painted by the poetry of Ritter's words tell the real story.

Anyone who has seen Josh Ritter in concert knows he has a smile on his face from beginning to end. Even when his guitar plays in a minor key and the lyrics paint a sorrowful picture, his love of music always seems to win out. Ritter may not be the happiest he has ever been in life, but he still manages to smile and move forward. As he says in "Joy to You Baby,"" I guess it all adds up to joy to the end." So goes the story of "The Beast in Its Tracks."

Similar Artists: Nick Drake, Joe Pug

Track Suggestion: "Joy to You Baby"

Four stars

If you have any comments or you're a local artist and would like to see your album reviewed, contact Jeff at JLoudonReviews@gmail.com